Betrayal, Balance, and Brotherhood: The Tale of Life and Death
by fleflefle
Summary: Follow twins Life and Death on their adventures across the cosmos.
1. Today is the Day?

This story will contain mixes of Greek, Roman, Common, Christian, and any other type of lore I can think of. Accuracy, as far as the myths go, isn't really an objective, so yeah. Basically, I'm picking and choosing what goes on.  
I hope you enjoy my story.  
All support for this story, including but not limited to comments, favorites, hits, etc. are greatly appreciated and encouraged.

It might be similar to God of War or maybe even Percy Jackson, but I'm making it up as I go. I assure you that I'm not just copying them or something like that.

* * *

The Gates of Paradise, entrance to the Realm of the Gods.

Today was the day, after all.

The sight was magnificent. A scene that perfectly depicts the occasion; only here, at the very zenith of Creation, could be grand enough to house such an event. Planets, stars, space, and dust went as far as any eye could see in the entire spectrum of colors. There were an infinite number of patterns and shapes that could be distinguished. The sight could only reinforce gratitude and love to the gods responsible for such beauty.

The two figures dismounted their respective steeds and strode, side by side, up to the magnificent, golden gates. The two seemed to still be on the cusp of manhood, having smooth skin and lean, defined musculature. Looks can be deceiving, however. The pair was not quite as old as Time or Creation, but not far behind either. The two looked to be complete opposites: one having dark hair and skin (think Native American) with golden eyes and the other having fair skin and silver hair with electric blue eyes. The dark one wore a black robe that exposed his left shoulder and the other wore a white robe that exposed his right.

They have been called many names through the ages of their existence: Good and Evil, Creation and Destruction, Yin and Yang, Beginning and End.

Life and Death.

"Ah, you're both finally here. Now we can begin," said St. Peter, the Gatekeeper. He presented the two brothers with a black and white laurel, similar to the green one he wore himself. The mighty angel extended his arm toward the gate and commanded them to open. Slowly, epically, and magnificently, the gates followed his commands and the brothers couldn't help the smiles that crossed their faces. "Welcome to Paradise," he said with an angelic smile.

'Today is the day,' resounded through their minds.

The twins took their time strolling through the gardens in front of the palace, basking in the euphoria of what was to come. Their smiles never left their faces. Glory would soon be theirs: today was the day, after all.

Upon reaching the entrance to the great palace, Olympus, the brothers clasped each other's shoulder and shared a laugh. They had waited for today for many, many moons. It was time to claim what was rightfully theirs.

The platinum doors opened of their own accord and the brothers strolled in, taking in the indescribable grandeur of the palace. They walked straight through the long hall, toward the Throne Room where the Gods would be assembled.

When they reached the Throne Room, they were greeted with the sight of the gods that ruled over Creation.

The smiling Zeus called out to them from the other side of the "U" shaped room, arms open wide and standing in front of his throne made of the very heavens he ruled over. "Welcome, Protectors of the Balance, to the Halls of Olympus! Welcome Life and Death!"

"Welcome Life and Death!" The other gods joyously repeated.

The Olympian Throne Room was beyond description. If the greatest architects in all history and from the future came together they could not have dreamed a more fitting place for the Gods. There were pedestals for the Archangels, the mightiest of angels, above them so that they may have the honor of watching the Gods. The Thrones of the Gods were all unique and a testament to their power: Neptune's throne was fashioned of the currents of the mighty ocean, Gaia's of the stone and earth of Mt. Olympus itself, and Hades's throne was made of the same black obsidian as his fortress in the Underworld.

"Now that you're both here, the celebration can begin!" Zeus, King of the Gods, Creator of the Heavens, and Lord of all Creation announced.

The Throne Room instantly changed into a vast, magnificent combination of nature and construction. A beautiful garden area rich with ambrosia and other godly delicacies placed upon tables of pure marble and gold. Wine and nectar flowed from elaborate fountains. Lesser gods and angels danced, played various instruments, sang, and made merry all along the party space.

"Now, young brothers, rejoice in the wonders of Olympus! For today is your day!" Zeus once more shouted through the halls of his palace.

The brothers looked at each other with identical grins and raced off to enjoy the previously unknown pleasures of Olympian parties. It seemed Dionysus had outdone himself.

Life picked up a sparkling conversation with Athena, Goddess of Knowledge and Wisdom, with nothing more than a small chalice of nectar. He was generally the smarter and more level-headed of the pair. He used knowledge, tact, and strategy to solve his problems.

Death, however, had two lovely servants of Aphrodite, one for each arm, in his company and was talking to Ares, God of War and Destruction, about the wonders of the Trojan War. He had a handful of smoked Nemean Lion in one hand and an entire bottle of wine in the other. Like in so many other areas, he was the polar opposite of his twin brother. He had quite the temper and often jumped to conclusions. He didn't think ahead too much and preferred to use instinct in the heat of the moment rather than pre-planning.

The black-and-white differences of the twins would make other pairings fall apart at the seams. However, the two brothers were exactly as they needed to be. They required these heavy differences in order to balance each other. Together, they form a never ending cycle. Balance was the center of their existence and it was that Balance that brought them here today. Today, they will be honored for completing their task.

* * *

The Titans had ruled over the gods with an iron fist for eons. They forced the strongest gods (namely Zeus, Neptune, Gaia, and Hades) to create various realms and to fill them with subjects that would bow to the Titans' regime. Zeus created the skies, Paradise, and the stars; he filled his realm with angels. Gaia created the Earth and filled it with humans. Neptune created the seas and the merpeople to roam them. Hades created the Underworld and the demons that resided within. Presented with these new playgrounds, the Titans spread their tyranny into all of the Four Realms of Creation with gusto.

Armed and strengthened with the prayers of their respective realms, the Gods managed to overthrow the Titans in a mighty war that ravaged all of the Four Realms. The four sibling Creators and the other children of the Titans severely punished their former masters and scattered them into prisons across the realms they created, leaving them broken and powerless.

The toll of the Great War was immense and it left naught but ash, fire, and destruction in all the realms. The Gods set about restoring their creations; however, the War drained them of so much power that they could only restore the realms, not the inhabitants of the realms. So the Gods came together and created Life and Death with their last bit of creative power (creative power is different from regular power, just to be clear; they still have their regular powers, i.e. Zeus can still throw lightning bolts). They charged Life and Death with restoring and maintaining the balance of souls and life within the Four Realms. After they restored the Balance, they would be given thrones in Olympus for their service.

Finally, after centuries of work, the Balance had been restored completely and the twins were about to reap their reward. The party they were attending was their coronation party. Zeus would announce their ascension to Olympus sometime during the party and then Life and Death would take their place as Olympians.

After more celebrating, Zeus reformed the room so that the Thrones were set up in the middle of the party area. The Olympians moved to sit on their thrones and the twins walked to stand before Zeus's throne. They both kneeled before the King of the Gods.

"We have gathered here today to honor two brothers that have been invaluable to us all. The Balance is essential to all of the Gods and these two were put in charge of that Balance. Life and Death have completed the task assigned to them and restored the Balance that was lost in the Great War. Today, we are supposed to acknowledge the completion of their task and fulfill our end of the bargain: namely, give them thrones here in Olympus. As an Olympian myself, I can honestly say that there is no greater honor we can bestow."

There were murmurs and whispers of excitement throughout the lesser gods and the angels in the area, but the four Creators were stoic. The other Olympians seemed indifferent or mildly interested at best.

Zeus sighed. "However, we cannot allow that to happen," he said in a cryptic voice.

Life felt his mental processes, full of nervousness and giddiness just a moment ago, come to a halt and the icy feeling of dread began to creep in. He didn't know how to take Zeus's words. Were they being betrayed? Was it a joke? 'What is going on?' he thought.

Death, however, was being his usual self. Always quick to anger, he jumped up and began to retort. "You would do well to choose your next words wisely and explain yourself," he said menacingly, a look of murder in his eyes (punny, I know).

"Do not think to test me, whelp!" Zeus roared. Thunder boomed over Olympus and lightning flickered off of his robe. The two before him were a force to be reckoned with, but they weren't gods yet.

Death, not one to back down easy, didn't move or say anything. He merely stood as exactly as he was. Waiting and watching. Life, after gaining some control over himself, stood as well. He didn't like what was going on and there was a bad feeling in his gut.

"As I was saying, we cannot allow you to become Olympians. Your power would be unmatched and even the forces of Olympus could not control such a power." The more Zeus spoke, the harder and more cryptic his voice became.

A large vortex appeared behind the twins; a spinning maelstrom of clouds, thunder and lightning. The wind in the room picked up so much that the twins were having trouble standing still, though the Olympians in the room seemed unperturbed.

"That is why, effective immediately, you both will be stripped of your rank, power, and duties!" Zeus had to shout over the sound of the wind being sucked into the vortex; it was even starting to pull in Life and Death.

"I, Zeus, Lord of Olympus and the Four Realms, hereby cast you out!"

After that the twins were sucked into the vortex and everything went dark.


	2. Decision Making

"I, Zeus, Lord of Olympus and the Four Realms, hereby cast you out!"

After that the twins were sucked into the vortex.

Only now did the other Olympians begin to stir, though the four Creators showed hard expressions.

"Lord Zeus, what is the meaning of this?" Athena called out.

"It is just as I have said, Daughter Athena," Zeus answered while sitting back down.

"Have you not forgotten that we all depend on the Balance that those two work tirelessly to sustain? Without the prayers of the living, we cannot hold power. Now who will protect the Balance?" Athena argued. As the Goddess of Wisdom, she was an ideal advisor and in this decision she could see no wisdom.

"We shall have to rely on the power of the Tree," Gaia answered plainly.

Apollo appeared to be in-between disbelief and shock. "Tree? Are you referring to the Tree of Life? Even the Titans could not predict the actions of the Tree, much less control them. You cannot be serious, Father."

It was Hades' turn to speak up. "The Tree is older and more powerful than even we can imagine. We shall have to break the seal the Titans placed upon it and trust in the knowledge of the Tree."

"Creators, I think I speak for many in this room when I say that this was not a wise decision," Athena said darkly.

Ares, meanwhile, was cracking up and squirming in his chair. "Are you kidding me, Pops?" He said defiantly through his laughs.

"Watch your mouth, Ares. I am still Lord in these halls."

Ares only laughed some more. "That wuss Life might roll over and play dead, but my man Death isn't going to let you guys blow him off like that. I practically taught the kid everything I know."

Infuriated, Zeus stood and gave Ares a look that would inspire fear in the bravest of souls. "Need I remind you that 'kid' is far older than you and was more dangerous than you could ever hope to be?"

Ares just looked back at his father with a grin and a dark chuckle. "All I'm sayin' is that this wasn't the last time you'll see his face."

"Father," Apollo said, "I cannot see good fortune in store after this decision." As the God of Prophecy, this was more than a simple statement.

"We shall speak of this no longer. The decision has been made."


End file.
